Board of Trustees of the German Industry for Vocational Training

The Kuratorium der Deutschen Wirtschaft für Berufsbildung (KWB) — rendered in English as the Board of Trustees of the German Industry for Vocational Training — is a German umbrella organisation that coordinates and represents the shared positions, initiatives and interests of German business in vocational education and training. It was founded in 1970 and is organised as a registered association (eingetragener Verein) with its seat in Bonn. Its stated role is to act as "the voice of business in vocational education" (Die Stimme der Wirtschaft in der Berufsbildung), aggregating employer-side opinion and carrying it into the political and administrative processes that shape Germany's dual training system. The KWB's membership is made up of Germany's leading employers' and business associations, including the Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbände (BDA), the Deutsche Industrie- und Handelskammer (DIHK), the Zentralverband des Deutschen Handwerks (ZDH), Gesamtmetall, the Handelsverband Deutschland (HDE), the Bundesarbeitgeberverband Chemie (BAVC), the Bundesverband der Freien Berufe (BfB), the Bundesverband Großhandel, Außenhandel, Dienstleistungen (BGA) and the Deutsche Bauernverband (DBV). Through this membership the KWB speaks for a broad cross-section of German industry, crafts, trade, services and the liberal professions. Its work concentrates on three main fields: the reorganisation (Neuordnungen) of dual-system training occupations, vocational training policy (Berufsbildungspolitik), and transfer activities. In practice this means coordinating employer positions on fundamental questions of vocational education, participating in the revision and creation of training and further-training regulations, and fostering dialogue between business, politics and practitioners through events, workshops and publications. The KWB also supports two working groups (Arbeitsgemeinschaften) for commercial and technical-industrial training managers, and organises an annual specialist conference, the KWB Thementag, hosted in cooperation with a rotating member company. The organisation is governed by a members' assembly (Mitgliederversammlung) and a board (Vorstand), supported by a management team (Geschäftsführung). As of the sources consulted, Christina Ramb of the BDA chairs the members' assembly, Nico Schönefeldt of the DIHK chairs the board, and Dr. Markus Th. Eickhoff serves as managing director, a role he has held since November 2021. The KWB remains an active, non-profit association rather than a commercial enterprise, and its "brand" is essentially its institutional identity as the collective voice of German employers in vocational training.

The Kuratorium der Deutschen Wirtschaft für Berufsbildung (KWB) was founded in 1970. Its creation responded to a need among German employers' associations to agree on common positions in vocational education and to represent those positions effectively vis-à-vis the federal ministries, the trade unions and the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder (Kultusministerkonferenz). From the outset, the KWB was conceived not as a single company or sector body but as a coordinating umbrella for the major employers' and business associations of the Federal Republic of Germany. Over the decades, the KWB's core tasks have remained remarkably stable: coordinating employer-side opinion formation on fundamental questions of vocational education; participating in the reorganisation (Neuordnung) of dual-system training occupations and in the drafting of further-training regulations; public relations through conferences, workshops and practice-oriented contributions; and projects such as early identification of qualification needs (Qualifikationsfrüherkennung). This continuity reflects the institutional stability of the German dual training system itself, in which employers, trade unions and the state negotiate the content and standards of vocational qualifications. The KWB is organised as a registered association (eingetragener Verein) with its seat in Bonn. Its members are the leading German business and employers' associations: the Bundesarbeitgeberverband Chemie (BAVC), the Bundesverband der Freien Berufe (BfB), the Bundesverband Großhandel, Außenhandel, Dienstleistungen (BGA), the Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbände (BDA), the Deutsche Bauernverband (DBV), the Deutsche Industrie- und Handelskammer (DIHK), the Gesamtverband der Arbeitgeberverbände der Metall- und Elektroindustrie (Gesamtmetall), the Handelsverband Deutschland – Der Einzelhandel (HDE) and the Zentralverband des Deutschen Handwerks (ZDH). This membership gives the KWB a broad mandate across industry, crafts, trade, services, agriculture and the liberal professions. The association's organs are a members' assembly (Mitgliederversammlung) and a board (Vorstand), supported by a management team (Geschäftsführung). Leadership is drawn from the member organisations. As of the sources consulted, Christina Ramb, a member of the BDA's main executive board, chairs the members' assembly, with Stefan Füll, President of the Wiesbaden Chamber of Crafts, as her deputy. The board is chaired by Nico Schönefeldt (DIHK), with Dr. Volker Born (ZDH) and Dr. Barbara Dorn (BDA) as deputies. Further board members represent Gesamtmetall, HDE, BAVC, BFB, BGA and DBV. Dr. Markus Th. Eickhoff has served as managing director since November 2021, with Joachim Lapp as deputy managing director. Beyond its core advocacy and coordination work, the KWB maintains two working groups (Arbeitsgemeinschaften) for commercial and technical-industrial training managers. Together with rotating partner companies, it organises the annual KWB Thementag, a specialist event focused on information and experience exchange. The KWB also publishes a newsletter and provides guidance for experts involved in ordinance procedures, including standards intended to simplify and make comparable the instruments of vocational regulation. In 2026 the KWB Thementag is scheduled to take place at Schaeffler in Bühl. The organisation continues to describe itself as "the voice of business in vocational education" and remains an active association in the German vocational training landscape.

• 2026

  The KWB Thementag 2026 is scheduled to take place at Schaeffler in Bühl.

• 2021

  Dr. Markus Th. Eickhoff becomes managing director in November 2021.

• 1970

  The Kuratorium der Deutschen Wirtschaft für Berufsbildung (KWB) is founded to coordinate and represent the shared interests of German business in vocational education.

The collective voice of German business in vocational education and training, coordinating employer interests and shaping the dual training system.

• Coordination of employer positions

  Coordination of employer-side opinion formation on fundamental issues of vocational education.

• Reorganisation of training occupations (Neuordnungen)

  Participation in the reorganisation of dual training occupations and in the creation of further-training regulations.

• Vocational training policy (Berufsbildungspolitik)

  Representation of business interests in vocational education policy vis-à-vis ministries, trade unions and the Kultusministerkonferenz.

• Transfer activities

  Public relations through conferences, workshops and practice-oriented contributions; publications and a newsletter.

• KWB Thementag

  Annual specialist conference organised with rotating partner companies, focused on information and experience exchange.

• Working groups for training managers

  Two Arbeitsgemeinschaften for commercial and technical-industrial training managers.

1. 1Home - KWBkwb-berufsbildung.de
2. 2Über Uns - KWBkwb-berufsbildung.de
3. 3Board of Trustees of the German Industry for Vocational Training - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Kuratorium der Deutschen Wirtschaft für Berufsbildung - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org